Bleasdale "Bremerview" 2007. Shiraz

General: Another from the Bleasdale range.

Variety: Shiraz

Region:/G.I.: Fleurieu. Langhorne Creek

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bouquet: Rich, plummy nose - not jammy, more of a dried plum smell with some fresh wood savoury tones.

Flavour: Medium-Full bodied plum fruit (and some sultanas? other dried fruit perhaps) with some spiciness as well, moving to a very nice tannic finish. Very nicely balanced.

Points: 84

Notes: A very good example of Shiraz. Not young and silly, this provides a lovely drink. I will investigate more of the Bleasdale range. This one was $1 more than the Malbec at $16 (287 Kc). Back to the bottle shop for me...

Bleasdale "Second Innings" 2008. Malbec

General: I am always interested to try Malbecs as I am a fan of tannins. In addition, I recently enjoyed a wine from Bleasdale

and the winery has received positive reviews from wineweek.com.au.

Variety: Malbec

Region/G.I.: Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bouquet: Very good combination of dry, earthy spices with sour cherry in there as well. Notes of other fruits (juicy plums?) also lingered

Flavour: Great body and long, dry finish. The initial fruit is rich and true to the nose. It lingers and gently recedes to a smooth tannic finish

Points: 83

Notes: Very enjoyable. This is younger than some of the recent drops that I have had so its "youth" was evident. A lovely drink and I am now a fan of Australia's second oldest family winery. Suprising that alcohol is not evident, given it is 14.5%. At $14 (250 Kc), this is a slightly different alternative to the regular reds on the market. I'll buy a couple to cellar. I have one of their Shiraz' to try soon.

De Bortoli "Sero". 2006 Shiraz Tempranillo

General: I tasted the 2005 and wrote about it here . Time for the 2006...

Varities: Shiraz, Tempranillo

Region/G.I.: North East Victoria, King Valley

Alcohol: 14.0%

Bouquet: Complex. Savoury (a hint of Rosemary) with lovely animal tones. Fruit in the nose suggests sour cherry and there is some oak in there as well.

Flavour: Full mouth of fruit up front followed by satisfying, dry tannins. Not as complex as the nose suggests but a very well made wine. The flavour lingers; very good length.

Points: 84

Notes: At $13.00 (233 Kc) this is certainly a bargain. The wine shows consistency between 2005 and 2006. I must get myself to the King Valley. A perfect reason to visit Eva Kresakova who lives in that area!

Plantagenet Hazard Hill 2003 Shiraz

General: I found this at a shop which is part of a small chain. It's unusual given its age, but I bought it as it is available in the Czech Republic and I was interested to see what has happened since 2003.

Variety: Shiraz

Region/G.I.: South Western Australia, Great Southern

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bouquet: Mostly animal tones with some earthy background. To be honest, I was a little fearful that it was gone...

Flavour: Yummy. In spite of the nose, it had good peppery fruit giving way to a nice, still surviving but gentle tannins. Some oak in there as well and not surprisingly, it was very, very smooth.

Points: 85

Notes: A very good surprise. This is the entry level for the winery. I must track down their other lables. Undiscounted, I bought it for $14 (252 Kc).

Brokenwood. 2008 Cricket Pitch

General: Friends brought this around for lunch on Sunday and I was pleased as I'd wanted to buy it for a a while





Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Shiraz 25%, Merlot and Petit Verdot - equally in the remaining 15%

Regions/GI: Multiple

Alcohol: 14.0%

Bouquet: Rich - regular plums but also red berry notes. Concentrated.

Flavour: Wonderful. Great complexity. Initial fruit combination gives way to spicy, almost white peppery notes which stretch across the tongue, followed up by silky smooth tannins. Very good length and excellent balance.

Points: 85

Notes: This was a wonderful drop. The main vineyard is a couple hours north of Sydney and I really have to get up there to try their range. Online, this sells for $19.00 (342 Kc) which is excellent for the quality of this wine. I am keen to see how this ages and will keep a look-out for back vintages.

Freeland. 2009 Pinot Noir

General: Another from the half-case I bought from Cellarmasters, where each case comes with a guarantee so you can be credited for wines that you don't like. No credits for this one.

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Central Otago, NZ

Alcohol: 14.0%

Bouquet: Crushed, ripe (regular) cherry and some earthy savouriness

Flavour: Good, even flavour across the tongue with a surprisingly long finish. True to the nose, there are well balanced flavours of ripe cherry, earthy flavours and very mild, tannins.

Points: 84

Notes: I was surprised by this wine given it is so young yet the length of flavour is remarkable. The discounted cost of the wine is $18.99 (342 Kc) so this is a higher price than I have previously ventured. Well worth it.

De Bortoli. 2007 Petit Verdot

General: I am a big fan of De Bortoli's Durif sold under the same series and was keen to try how Petit Verdot was done by them

Variety: Petit Verdot

Region/G.I.: Not stated but presumed Big Rivers, Riverina

Alcohol: 14.0%

Bouquet: Lovely savoury, almost earthy tones with underlying plum

Flavour: Light to medium body with a smooth, tannic finish. Enjoyable savoury flavours add to the complexity.

Points: 84

Notes: A very good drop. I will hunt down more Petit Verdot as I found this style to my taste! Undiscounted, this bottle was $14 (252 Kc) and was worth every cent.

Tandem 2006 ars in vitro

General: One from a group I bought a couple of months ago

Varieties: Tempranillo, Merlot

Region: Navarra, Spain

Alcohol: 14%

Bouquet: Pleasant. Cherry and some vanilla

Flavour: A light-medium bodied wine with a good dry finish. Not much in the way of fruit which leaves the taste somewhat deficient.

Points: 80

Notes: I have tasted higher level wines from the producer with greater success. This is the entry level, discounted to $10 (180) from the usual $15 or so.